Skip to main content
association

association

131 3.0
A connection between people, groups, or things, often from working together
  • noun
  • /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/
translation icon : relación
  • The new marketing campaign has created a strong association between our brand and quality.
  • significant association
  • statistically significant association
  • positive association

They are worried about having an association to someone who they think might damage them.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Second, education has a large and persistent association with health behaviors and health status.

    Academic text (2013)
  • They are worried about having an association to someone who they think might damage them.

  • I have to leave the country because of my association with him.

  • Your association with her will bring you nothing but trouble.

  • In time, some of them form a more permanent association of one kind or the other.

  • In this study, we investigated the association between blood lead and increased blood pressure.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Mr. Wilson, I have a feeling that this casual meeting will be the beginning of a delightful association for all of us.

  • Because no specific dish could account for most cases, the association with specific ingredients was investigated.

    Academic text (2012)
  • None of the reviewed studies focused on the association between placental levels and any long-term effects.

    Academic text (2012)
  • States can negotiate treaties and other forms of association that allow for freer international trade.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

relationship
vsassociation
1.7

A connection between people, groups, or countries that shows how they interact

adds the sense of forming or spending time within those connections
connection
vsassociation
1.9

A relationship between people, things, ideas, or events

stresses both the link and the act of joining or spending time
alliance
vsassociation
832 4.0

A formal agreement between countries or groups to work together

is more general and can be informal or simply a casual joining
relation
vsassociation
745 2.8

How people, groups, or countries are connected and act toward each other

adds the idea of joining together or spending time with others
tie
vsassociation
325 2.4

A connection that people have with family or friends

is more general and includes nonemotional, organizational joining
affiliation
vsassociation
95 3.9

A connection with a group, organization or person

is broader, covering both informal joining and simple connections
correlation
vsassociation
93 4.6

A connection between two things where one changes when the other changes

is less technical and also includes nonstatistical social or group joining
personal relationship
vsassociation
51 2.8

A close connection between two people with feelings and trust

is more general and includes nonemotional or organizational connections
linkage
vsassociation
26 3.9

A connection between things, for example air pollution and disease

emphasizes people and groups as well as things and social joining
human relationship
vsassociation
9 2.7

The way two or more people connect and treat each other

is broader, applying to groups, things, and the act of spending time
relatedness
vsassociation
2 5.5

How closely people or things connect to each other

focuses more on the act of joining or associating with others
interrelationship
vsassociation
2 5.9

A connection where two or more things affect each other

is broader, covering simple connections not necessarily reciprocal
social relation
vsassociation
2 3.9

A connection between people or animals that shows how they interact

is wider, applying also to objects, ideas, and nonliving links
tie-up
vsassociation
1 4.4

A connection between people or groups to work together

is wider, also applying to loose or informal joining of people
assoc.
vsassociation
6.0

Short form used in names for a group of people with the same aim

is the full written form rather than an abbreviation
entwinement
vsassociation
7.4

A close, often complicated connection between people, groups, or ideas

is more general and can be simple or less tangled connections
consociation
vsassociation
8.6

A group of people or organizations formed to work together for a common purpose

covers any connection or the act of joining, not only formal groups

Antonyms

172 3.7

A state of being alone and cut off from other people physically or emotionally

Being separate from people, things, or contact, for example losing internet

Idioms

People treat you as bad because you are connected to someone who did wrong

Compounds

An American group that supports people's right to own guns and opposes many gun laws

Blaming someone for bad acts because they are friends with guilty people, without proof

An organization of people with the same job who support each other's work

A professional group of US real estate agents and brokers

A group of Southeast Asian countries that work together on trade, politics, and security

free association
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A way of saying the first thought that comes to your mind to find hidden feelings

1 3.6

A bank that takes savings and lends money to help people buy houses

association area
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Part of the brain's outer layer that joins information from different senses and helps thinking

press association
  • Literature
1 3.9

An organization that gathers and sends news to newspapers and other media

An American organization that helps older people by giving advice and speaking for them

A Turkish armed group linked to al-Qaeda seeks to violently replace Turkey's government with an Islamic state like Iran

An organization of Protestants in Northern Ireland that supports staying part of the United Kingdom and holds public parades

association cortex
  • Specialized
8.1

Parts of the brain that help you think, plan, and understand information

A team sport where two teams of eleven kick a ball into the other team's goal

7.0

The idea that the mind works by linking ideas or past experiences

A US company created by the government that buys and guarantees home loans to help the mortgage market

mineral association
  • Specialized
5.6

A group of minerals that are often found together in the same rock

A worldwide group of volunteers who help communities with projects like eye tests and local services

Part of the World Bank that gives low-interest loans and grants to the poorest countries

A computer system that gives brokers live price quotes for stocks traded outside major exchanges

stellar association
  • Specialized
8.7

A large loose group of stars that have similar ages

An illegal Protestant loyalist armed group in Northern Ireland that fought during the Troubles and attacked Catholic civilians

How Connected

union
157 2.7
alliance
832 4.0
association
131 3.0
correlation
  • Specialized
50 4.9
coincidence
426 3.4

Surface Forms

association singular
associations plural

Morphology

association = associate (transparent) = associate + ion

The noun 'association' is transparently derived from the verb 'associate' by adding the suffix '-ion', indicating the act or state of associating.

Etymology

Association comes from the Latin parts ad- ('to, with') and socius ('companion' or 'friend'), the same root as social and associate. So an association is about being 'with' others — a connection or time spent together.